Who is Jonghyun?
I first got into K-Pop sometime in 2011. I was much younger, then, and it’s so easy to fall in love with everything about K-pop – the energetic dance, the beautiful singers, the upbeat tempo, the colorful, yet sometimes cringey music videos – basically everything. One of the first groups I listened to was none other than SHINee, as the group sang the OST for one of my first Korean dramas, Boys Before Flower. Maybe you have heard of it,too.
And few days ago, we just lost a huge figure in K-Pop, Jonghyun.
Jonghyun wasn’t just a SHINee member. He was also, first and foremost, an individual – a friend, a brother, a colleague, a senior, an ex-lover, a teacher, a son, an inspiration. He was, first and foremost, a human.
Jonghyun was someone who presented himself to the public as a singer, as a member of K-pop boy group, SHINee. But still, if he hadn’t chosen that path, he would still be a 27-year old Kim Jong-Hyun.
It’s a known fact that for quite sometime, Jonghyun was battling what’s probably the most difficult fight, a fight against oneself and one’s thought. As someone who’s battling depression, Jonghyun probably had sleepless nights, had moments of self-doubt, and even contemplating suicide over and over again.
It’s hard to pinpoint what drove Jonghyun to the extent of taking his own life. A close acquaintance of him revealed he has no personal problem, and that the stress may greatly stemmed from his own inability to find satisfaction in his work.
And now, those left behind can’t help but wonder if he hadn’t chosen to be a celebrity, would he still be alive by now?
Photo credit: Next Daily
